"Kungia", my women's leader/Nigerien grandmother, and some of her friends. She's amazing.

The well in the community garden. Pulling water is hard!

My garden! My villagers helped me plant carrots and cabbage (mine are the 4 blocks that look empty... because I had just planted them, not because i'm agriculturally inept - although that's probably true, too)

Top: My house! Cute, eh?

Middle: My yard, complete with "shade hangar": where I find refuge when there is just too much sun, and where I sleep at night (my mattress and bedding get put inside during the day so they don't get too dusty, and you can see the miskito net above the cot)

Left: My "shower" (bucket-bath area. basically, you sit on the stool and use a cup to pour water on yourself. there's a drain on the other side of the stool. it's actually pretty nice, especially when it's hot)

So, what do you DO?

You're probably wondering if I'm actually doing any work in Niger... well...

I haven't started any "projects" yet, but will be doing so in the next few weeks now that IST is over, and I'll be sure to keep you posted (as best I can...) when I do. For my first few months I did a lot of trying to get to know people and a lot of observing the community. I am in the MCD (Municipal and Community Development) program, which, as you may already know, means I work primarilly with the local government. Niger is just at starting the process of decentralization (switching from only central government to a combination of central and local government, which means easier access to the government for the average citizen and, hopefully, more efficient/sustainable development). It was only in 2004 that the first ever local elections, and we just found out that the second ever local elections will be held this coming April. Basically, this means that both those working in the government and the majority of citizens still aren't perfectly clear on what everyone's roles are/ought to be. Niger asked Peace Corps to come up with a program that would help local government officials work more effeciently on the one hand and encourage citizen participation in community development on the other. So... en principe, that's my job. Stay tuned for what that really ends up looking like.

During my first few months in the village, I went to many meetings that were being held at the mairie to update the commune's PDC (development plan). This is a five year plan, meant to lay out what they hope to accomplish in each village in the commune (build schools, train midwives, etc.) . A team of NGOs is working with my commune to update their PDC, and it was really interesting to sit in on the meetings. Each village had a meeting with various representatives (the chief, farmers, women's groups, youth, etc.) to make a list of what resources they have (how many classrooms, wells, fields) and what they need. The commune council then met, went over each group's information, and tried to assess priorities and determine what was pheasable in the next few years. They should have the budget in place when I get back, so I'm looking forward to seeing what progress has been made. Once the PDC is in place I'm hoping to use it as a starting point for some projects, such as getting a community group (like a youth group) involved in activities that will help the commune achieve some of their goals. Wish me luck.........

Home Sweet Home

Here are some pictures of my house now that it is a little more lived in (aka I put pictures up)

This is Bingley. He came to live with me for 24 hours, but had to go back to his mom for a while because... well... he was too tiny, as you can see. He cried the WHOLE TIME. That was about 6 weeks ago, so I am hoping that when I get back to my village later this week he'll be able to come move in for good.

For those of you who are wondering, he got his name by being born the week I was reading Pride and Prejudice.

All roads lead to my market town...

Let me preface this with stating that in the states, in an area that I am familiar with, where I speak the language, with clearly marked roads, google maps, GPS, cell phones, and gas stations at which to stop and ask directions, I get lost with remarkable frequency. So when I was faced with finding my way for the first time through the bush from my village to my market town, following unmarked footpaths and with very limited language skills, I was...well... expecting a bit of an adventure.

It seemed that the first logical step would be to go to the mairie, where I spend most of my mornings, and ask the mayor or the SG for directions. Easy, right?

me: "I need to go to the market, but I don't know how to get there..."
mayor: "oh, just go to the doctor's office and ask some of the women there. They'll tell you."
sigh. seriously? I thought, you can't just tell me first?

I walked back towards the doctor's and asked one of my neighbors.

maria: "oh, its easy. you'll see children on the road."
me: "okay. but... which road?"
maria: "the road. the road to the market"
sigh. of course. silly question, really...

Back at the mairie, I explained my dilemma to my friend Rabi, the secretary. She took pity on me, walked outside with me to point me in the right direction, explained that if I went to the middle school I would see the path, and repeated the assurance that I would see women and children en route once I got over there. Great! Perfect! I'm off!

I walked over to the middle school, only to find myself standing alone in the desert, wandering in circles, and looking around with increasing amusement for the seemingly invisible path...

After a few minutes, I saw a man on a camel approaching from the direction of my village.

me: Excuse me! Are you going to the market?
him: No. But give me money and I'll take you on my camel.
me: what?
him: MONEY!
sigh.
me: no... I don't want to go on your camel. I just want to know which path to take...
him: yes. great. give me money and we'll go.
me: goodbye. (I turned to leave)
him: no, no, wait. Okay, look. It's right over that way. Do you see that woman? you need to go over there.
me: great! thank you!

and, once again, I was off.

I got to the general area where we had seen the women walking, but by the time I got over there they were out of sight. but there was a footpath, or what looked like it might have been a footpath. I really hope this path doesn't fork... here goes nothing... just a few minutes later I met a woman on the way who had stopped to feed her baby. I introduced myself, and learned that she was also heading for the market (thank God!). We turned a corner and were faced with the dreaded fork-in-the-road, but now with my nwe guide, I was all set. We talked some of the way, but mostly walked along side by side while I listened to her singing some hausa song. The rest of our journey was so peaceful, almost surreal.

deep breath. I can do this.

Abinci (food)

I've gotten a lot of questions about what I'm eating and what Nigeriens eat, so here is an overview:

Most meals in Niger include what Hausa's call tuwo, which is millet, pounded into flour and cooked with water to make a thick paste-like substance, which is served with sauce. Milllet, or hatsi, itself doesn't have much flavor, but its super filling and the sauces can be really tasty.

The sauces vary, sometimes they use a spicy red sauce, sometimes a peanut sauce (my personal favorite - and, happily, my villagers' favorite as well), sometimes an okra sauce (thus far I have only heard of this one), etc.

Rice and sauce is another common meal. Also, rice and beans, with tonka (hot combination of spices) and sauteed onions (SO good!).

Fancier meals, such as those I might have at the mairie (mayor's office), include lamb or goat meat and possibly couscous.

Nigeriens usually eat from a communal platter, using their right hand. This took me some getting used to, but by now I've adjusted (and, I'm sorry mom but, I may not be able to break the habit of eating rice with my hands entirely once I'm home...)

Most of the time, I cook for myself (because I like cooking... although I could eat with a family in my neighborhood whenever I want), so I do get some American-ish food on a regular basis. I get fish in my market town almost every monday, and make grilled cheese and tomato soup most weeks. (Not to mention the occasional treat of care-package food from amazing people at home! Mac&cheese or a can of clam chowder may not seem that exciting, but trust me, it is very much appreciated - thank you all!)

Vegitables can be scarce in Niger for most of the year, but it is currently cold season, which is also gardening season, so most markets have ample fresh produce (such as carrots, tomatos, lettuce, cabbage, etc.) available.
**On that note - I've started a garden! I'm growing carrots and cabbage, and a few of my villagers, especially some women from the women's group and the guys in charge of agriculture, have been helping me learn how to plant and take care of it :-) I walk to the community garden with my borrowed watering can and water my small plot of garden every afternoon, and then hang around for a bit talking to the women by the well or some of the young girls who are there...It's been a lot of fun (pictures to come, insha'allah)

Where do I begin...

*First of all, let me explain my internet-access issue: I don't have it. My village is several hours from the city of Konni, where there is a Peace Corps transit house/hostel, where I usually spend a few days each month, but Konni is a small city and doesn't have any internet cafes. There is a precarious internet connection up in Tahoua, which is the regional capital of my region (the Tahoua region...), but this is yet further from Konni and so far I have only been up there once to go to the bank... Long story short, I'm going to try to update this as often as I can, but please bare with me and don't think I've forgotten to keep you all updated on my life...it's just that getting online/communicating in general is a little more complicated here than it is in the States.

So... with that said... let me try and explain what I've been doing for the past few months...

Having just finished my first three months of service, I am back in the capital city, Niamey (Nee-ah-may), for three weeks of IST (In Service Training). During this second training period we will do a little more language, but mostly be focusing on how to plan and manage projects, apply for grants, etc. While you can start small projects in your village during your first few months, most people (myself included) take that time to get to know the community, work on language skills, make friends, identify the strengths and needs of the community, brainstorm potential future projects, and generally get a feel for what your service will be like fort he next two years. So, in a nutshell, that's what I've been doing up until now. Trying to learn Hausa, getting to know my villagers as best I can, finding ways to feel comfortable and at home in this new enviornment/village/house, etc. In Peace Corps lingo, trying to become a "well-intergrated" volunteer... easy, right?

...

I've had some really funny moments, some really frustrating moments, some really joyful moments. What I can say for certain is that on the worst days, I love it here. There are moments that are difficult, and there's no use trying to sugar coat that. It's a totally different culture. Language barriers can be frustrating and are a constant presence. But at the end of the day, every single day, I'm so glad that I'm here.

So... with all that said... where do I possibly begin?? I've started to draft potential blog entries many times over the past few months, and each time I find myself up against a wall. There is so much to explain, so much that is impossible to adequately explain, and so much that I am sure to overlook, as a lot of things that probably don't make any sense to you or are really interesting already seem normal to me... I'm going to write a series of entries, trying to explain various aspects of village life, my life, my work, etc., today and next weekend before I head back to Konni. If anything is unclear or if any of you have questions about anything (that I have mentioned or otherwise), please leave a comment and ask me. I promise I'll respond, it just might take a while...

>I have pictures but am having trouble loading them. Insha'allah (God willing), they'll be up before I go back to the bush.

Mini Hausa Lesson: "Sai hankuri" (sigh hankooree) : have patience. (aka the moto of my life here)